Expert guide to Norfolk and Suffolk

An insider's guide to what to do on a short break in North Norfolk, including the best markets, prettiest walks and quaintest villages, as well as top tips for foodies. By Sophie Butler, Telegraph Travel's North Norfolk expert.

Why go now?

As the schools go back, North Norfolk empties. Locals, along with the few remaining holidaymakers, reclaim a beautiful region of flint-built villages, undulating countryside, atmospheric salt flats and vast beaches. Peak-season pressure on coastal car parks subsides and it becomes even easier to find solitude and space on the broad swathes of fine, yellow sand which are the chief draw for visitors to the area.

Early autumn sunshine and summer-warmed seawater are an ideal combination for a day of kite-flying, picnicking and paddling. Back roads, restored to tranquillity, are perfect for gentle touring by bike or car and the area’s stately homes quieten down to their last few weeks of opening before the season draws to an end.

You have a better chance of a same-day booking on the seal boats which continue to chug out to Blakeney Point, giving day-trippers a close-up of the colony of common and grey seals that bask lazily on the water’s edge.

For some visitors, seals are the star attraction in NorfolkCredit:
AP/FOTOLIA

For birdwatchers, the early autumn sees a rich variety of bird life including flycatchers, warblers, shearwaters and kittiwakes. It’s also a great time for food-lovers with culinary events taking place both on the coast and inland, celebrating the region’s varied local specialities, from real ales, honey, seafood and cheeses.

Where to stay

Special treat

Morston Hall is a flint- and brick-built Jacobean country-house hotel two miles from Blakeney, with an excellent Michelin-starred restaurant. From £160 per person, including breakfast and dinner.Read the full review here.

Mid range

The Titchwell Manor is a former Victorian farmhouse converted into a stylish boutique hotel with efficient, friendly service. Price from £90 per person, including breakfast. Read the full review here.

Hoste Arms in Burnham Market is a four-star hotel with stylish interiors and a delightful garden. Price from £70 per person, including breakfast. Read the full review here.

Budget

Cley Windmill in Cley-next-the-Sea is a eighteenth-century mill next to the River Glaven, overlooking reedbeds and sea with circular rooms and cosy dining room. Price from £65 per person, including breakfast.

On arrival

7pm

Catch your first sight of the area’s atmospheric coastal landscape of marshland and salt flats from the terrace at The White Horse in Brancaster Staithe (01485 210262; whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk).

The adjacent Conservatory Restaurant is a good place to sample local seafood – mussels, crab, oysters and lobster – and samphire, picked from the marshes (mains from £13).

The White Horse has fine views over the salt flats and marshesCredit:
WHITE HORSE

9pm

After your meal, pop into The Lord Nelson (nelsonslocal.co.uk), a small 17th-century pub in the village of Burnham Thorpe, birthplace of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, to toast Norfolk’s hero with a pint of local ale (try Wherry by Woodforde’s), or the rum-based 'Nelson’s Blood’ or 'Lady Hamilton’s Nip’. There’s no bar here: drinks are served straight from the tap room.

Day one

9am

Head to the Georgian town of Burnham Market to buy your picnic provisions at the Humble Pie delicatessen (humble-pie.com) and Gurneys (gurneysfishshop.co.uk). Relax over a morning coffee at The Hoste Arms (thehoste.com), which commands a prime spot overlooking the broad central green.

The Hoste Arms is a fine spot to while away a morning and an evening for that matterCredit:
ALAMY

10.30am

Park in Lady Ann’s Drive for easiest access to Holkham beach – but take coins for the pay and display. Stride out eastwards for an hour’s round trip to Wells-next-the-Sea, with its colourful beach huts, returning either along the sand or by the quiet coastal path behind the pine woods. Alternatively, walk westwards to Gun Hill, the highest point of the dunes with views of Scolt Head, to find a picnic spot in the marram grass.

2pm

Take your pick of the area’s best stately homes.

Holkham Hall (holkham.co.uk; entrance £12/6 adults/ children for hall, museums and children) is an 18th-century Palladian mansion in a large estate, home to the Coke family; Houghton Hall (houghtonhall.com; £10/3.50 adult/ child), which has superb William Kent interiors and magnificent five-acre walled garden; or, a little way inland, Blickling Estate (nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling; £10.75/ 5.35 adult/ child), with long gallery and park, said to be the birthplace of Anne Boleyn. These sights only open on certain days so check before visiting.

7pm

Treat yourself to a four-course dinner at Morston Hall (01263 741041; morstonhall.com; mains from £62), a Michelin-starred restaurant headed up by chef, Galton Blackiston. A cheaper option, also in Morston, is the Anchor pub (01263 741392; morstonanchor.co.uk), where main courses start from around £10.

Day two

9am

Depending on the state of the tide, book onto a boat trip to Blakeney Point to see the common and grey seals lolling on the water’s edge. Hour-long boat trips depart from Morston Quay (some allow you to land on Blakeney Point for up to an hour). Contact Temples (sealtrips.co.uk), Beans (beansboattrips.co.uk) or Bishop’s Boats (bishopsboats.com); prices are around £9 for adults and £5 for children.

11am

Do a brief tour of the flint-built, coastal villages of Blakeney, with its pretty seafront and narrow back lanes, and Cley, with its windmill, delicatessen and shops selling local pottery, smoked fish and second-hand books. Consider a quick foray to the Georgian town of Holt for a browse around antique, art and gift shops where Larners Food Hall (bakersandlarners.co.uk) sells a wide range of produce.

Bucolic Blakeney is one of North Norfolk's prettiest coastal villagesCredit:
AP/FOTOLIA

1pm

Choose from a selection of excellent local cafés within an easy drive ofHolt. In good weather, pick Wiveton Hall Cafe (01263 740515; wivetonhall.co.uk; mains from around £8), where brightly coloured tables and chairs are placed under pines next to the marshes.

For an excellent menu based on locally-produced organic produce (also available to buy at the deli counter) go to Back to the Garden (01263 715996; back-to-the-garden.co.uk; light meals from £7.50, mains from £15), and for good food combined with interesting local art try the newly opened Art Cafe in Glandford (01263 741711; art-cafe.org), which has light lunches from £5.25.